Facebook | Carrie Navin: zambian (north west) baby funerals

Facebook Carrie Navin: zambian (north west) baby funerals: "If the baby dies when it is less than one month old it is not treated like a normal person as its soul has not really been on earth long enough to be considered part of the human world. When the baby dies, the mother is not allowed to cry or else she will become infertile. The baby is not buried in a graveyard but under the mwenge tree in a shallow grave with its head facing west. If it faces east the mother will be infertile. Before they cover the baby with soil, they tie a white cotton thread to the baby's finger. When they bury it, the string is tied to the mwenge used. I asked if this is to keep the baby from coming back from the dead, and did not get a straight answer."